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Topic: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Topic: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

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chad from Virginia
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Member Since: 7/28/2026
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How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 11:32:08 AM

A little background first: I became an Ohio U fan nearly 20 years ago when my oldest daughter attended and cheered there. I like the school and the program for a number of reasons and still follow the programs relatively close, primarily football. OU is second only to WVU for me (btw, we attended the game last year and loved it).

I have some ideas, a few listed below, but I'd like to hear what others think with regard to strategies OU could pursue that would be both bold enough but realistic and attainable. A relatively easy strategy IMO would be for the school to better play up its state university branding. OSU has "The" but OU is still the "original Ohio University". No other MAC school can claim state flagship etc., with the exception of UMass.

Should OU be pursuing membership outside the MAC? Is that MAC stable? What would happen if Miami or Toledo left?

Can the stadium get additional improvements for seating (I love the stadium generally though the bleachers always seemed incongruent and soooo much money was left on the table at the WVU game because of the poorly planned concession staffing).

Getting P4 schools to visit is clearly becoming harder, but could OU be creative and instead of a return FB game, negotiate a home basketball game?

Other ideas and thoughts?

ExCat21
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 12:05:27 PM

Move to the PAC-10 and surplant the teams in those conferences.Have a good 10 year run and then wait for Big 12. Must upgrade stadium by 15K-20K seating.

That's what I'm doing in the video game. Better recruits, bigger games.

But also need Miami, Toledo with either BG/Buffalo to join to make a PAC-10 East division.

GoCatsGo
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Location: Cleveland, OH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 12:22:53 PM

One of the things that makes Ohio University a special place, is the the location of Athens. Unfortunately one of the biggest struggles that I'm sure that the Athletic Department currently has and will have going forward is the location of Athens. The Athletic Department will always struggle to get corporate support from the area, where as others will have a larger corporate base in the local area. This will cause us to struggle with regards to facility renovations, which are badly needed in order to be considered to move up.

I love the idea of regionality when it comes to conferences. Unfortunately, in order to keep up with the bigger guys, it's going out the window. I do think it makes sense to kick the tires outside of the MAC, like the Sun Belt last year, just so that we're not left behind as the College Sports Landscape continues to evolve, but I do worry that the location will be a detriment from other conferences taking Ohio seriously.

M.D.W.S.T
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 2:00:55 PM

Does Chad from Virginia have a large inheritance coming?

Bobcat1996
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 3:22:43 PM

"Must upgrade stadium by 15K-20K seating." Agree ExCat on upgrading the stadium. Peden Stadium needs new restrooms along with improving the visiting locker, and a few other upgrades.

ExCat21
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 3:48:33 PM

Bobcat1996 wrote:

"Must upgrade stadium by 15K-20K seating." Agree ExCat on upgrading the stadium. Peden Stadium needs new restrooms along with improving the visiting locker, and a few other upgrades.

Visitors can keep the same old dull locker rooms. Hahaha haha!

I really hope one day we can see 10K extra seats. Imagine Peden at around 40K. Bring in some lower tier B12 and B10 teams and Peden is rocking!

Last Edited: 7/28/2026 3:50:42 PM by ExCat21

cbarber357
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Location: Pickerington, OH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 4:35:28 PM

Couple of ideas I have:

1. Continue improving the gameday atmosphere and work to make it as attractive as possible for family of students and alumni to go to games.

2. Organize watch parties in all cities within driving distance of Athens. Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, etc. if it�s a fun time, people will talk and end up making a trip to Athens to see a game in person.

3. Continue scheduling as many P5 teams and/or regional matchups as possible outside of the MAC for home games. Even if away fans are a contributing factor in the bigger crowds, it�s more sales, the atmosphere will be better, and more people will want to come back or join for those types of match ups in the future. WVU, UC, Pitt, Va Tech, Louisville, Northwestern, JMU, App State, Marshall, Kansas are some that come to mind for me in football that might be doable.

Also, we need to continue being a winning program for this to work, which I�m not worried about.

OhioCatFan
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Location: Athens, OH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/28/2026 11:40:43 PM

A lot of folks channeling their inner-BTC in this thread! (ha-ha)

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

71 BOBCAT
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 8:14:15 AM

Let's face the reality that we are subjected to a very small market and little funds to improve our NIL funds.
The small market is a major factor in raising money.
I also believe our airport is also a negative as teams have to travel too long a distance to play.
In total we have too many negatives for our teams to overcome and improve.

GO BOBCATS

M.D.W.S.T
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 9:26:23 AM

71 BOBCAT wrote:

Indeed we have some geographical hurdles, but have you ever been to Penn State? 100 miles to Harrisburg. Ole Miss flies in and out of Tupelo, about an hour away. WVU has to fly in and out of Pittsburgh - 80 miles north. Virginia Tech is pretty isolated. UGA is isolated for teams that aren't swimming in cash. UGA has the most scheduled team flights every year because they can't take a large airplane from Athens, they take multiple small jets. They extended the runways to even be able to do that. Only wealthy programs can charter multiple jets into Athens, so most teams fly into Atlanta and drive the 1.5-2 hours into Athens. Alabama has to charter flights out of Birmingham - 63 miles away.

Obviously these are much larger programs and can afford the bill on both sides, but the hurdle isn't just high for us - it's high for many.

SBH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 10:10:02 AM

If we really want to polish our programs to appeal to a larger audience, we need to move to a new neighborhood. The MAC is a low-rent league with little/no upside.

GoCats105
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 10:32:52 AM

ExCat21 wrote:

Bobcat1996 wrote:

"Must upgrade stadium by 15K-20K seating." Agree ExCat on upgrading the stadium. Peden Stadium needs new restrooms along with improving the visiting locker, and a few other upgrades.

You really don't even need to expand it to 40K to see benefits. Oregon State decreased from 40K to 35K and it looks awesome. Peden really just needs to be modernized more than anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnKmBtMEu2s

OhioCatFan
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Location: Athens, OH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 10:41:00 AM

SBH wrote:

If we really want to polish our programs to appeal to a larger audience, we need to move to a new neighborhood. The MAC is a low-rent league with little/no upside.

Recently I've seen several posts that appear to under the wrong screenname. If I didn't know better, in this case, I would have thought that bobcat2000 hacked SBH's account.

MiamiBlowsChunks
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 10:46:22 AM

71 BOBCAT wrote:

This. Athens is Athens but a roadblock in so many ways. Not to mention the Evil Empire an hour up the road. You want to become "bigger" and compete in another alphabet G6 league? For what? P4 will break away sooner than later and when the dust settles, it would be dumb to be in a league with Texas and Alabama schools.

There's Only One OU and it ain't in Norman

Bobcat1996
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/29/2026 2:53:24 PM

"WVU has to fly in and out of Pittsburgh - 80 miles north" WVU also uses North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport about 30 miles from Morgantown.

StevenTimothyVitte
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/30/2026 11:31:30 AM

chad from Virginia wrote:

To answer some questions:

1) Yes, OU needs to consider leaving the MAC for another conference. At this point, it doesn't matter to me. PAC-12 as a football-only member? Sun Belt as a full member? Sign me up for either one.

The MAC is a sinking ship and will sink if it doesn't change how it operates.

2) The stadium will get additional improvements for seating. That's why Stand Up For Ohio Football is a thing.

3) We'll schedule as many games against P4 schools as we can, both in football and basketball. I doubt we'll turn away from accepting hard challenges.

chad from Virginia
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/30/2026 12:17:07 PM

I understand the comments about the limitations of the Athens area and the related limits on corporate sponsorship etc. However, I still think OU can expand its appeal statewide by emphasizing the "Ohio" University brand and differentiate from Akron, Kent, Bowling Green, Toledo and Miami. It's hard to think of another state university that doesn't do that.

With regard to the stadium, I don't think a large capacity expansion is needed so much as better seat options and improvements of existing seats (including the incongruent metals endzone seats).

Who knows where realignment dominoes will land but the American Conference would be the most realistic and worthwhile move IMO. I see Ohio U. mentioned from time to time as a replacement school for the AC if they lose some teams (e.g., USF, Memphis and Tulane).

In the meantime, and as mentioned by others, maintaining the high quality of play will keep OU in the candidate pools if and when realignment opportunities arise.

OLineGuy74
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/30/2026 2:35:02 PM

M.D.W.S.T wrote:

71 BOBCAT wrote:

WVU flies in and out of Clarksburg/Bridgeport. It's a good bit shorter, probably 50 minutes.

Doesn't OU use the airport on 32?

Last Edited: 7/30/2026 2:36:30 PM by OLineGuy74

OLineGuy74
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/30/2026 2:38:23 PM

chad from Virginia wrote:

Those mid-week games in October are huge because they are the only game to watch. Win those and you start winning players and donors over.

That is how WVU turned itself around in the early 2000s.

SBH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/31/2026 12:24:20 PM

Ultimate answer to this question is that Ohio alums/fans need to open their wallets. Our athletics department has historically raised funds at a 20% rate compared to Miami, both in terms of number and size of contribution. \It's now closer to 10% - not simply because our alums don't contribute but also because Miami has taken it to an entirely new level. Our university raises between $30-40 million per year on average. Miami recently raised $80 million for athletics facilities alone. Just mind boggling given the love most Ohio alumni have for our school.

Andrew Ruck
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Location: Columbus, OH
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/31/2026 1:15:50 PM

StevenTimothyVitte wrote:

1) Yes, OU needs to consider leaving the MAC for another conference. At this point, it doesn't matter to me. PAC-12 as a football-only member? Sun Belt as a full member? Sign me up for either one.

The MAC is a sinking ship and will sink if it doesn't change how it operates.

Been discussed on many threads, but I'll do it again. I don't agree with this thinking. The MAC is a sinking ship? The PAC-12 is a literal sunken ship. Why should Ohio join the PACIFIC conference? Because it has the same name as a conference that used to be good?

Why is it better to be in a conference with random teams all over the country that might be just slightly better than the average MAC team? Is that Ohio & Troy rivalry going to light a fire under both fan bases and the general masses as they fight for Pacific dominance? We aren't a power conference team...what is happening at the top of college football with the playoffs, B10, SEC, etc. is completely irrelevant to us. And that's OK.

Sac State & Umass money grab aside, the MAC is a refreshing throwback to that most college football fans still yearn for - Likeminded Universities in a small geographic area with rivalries that have both history and natural geographic connections. The MAC and its' members should lean into and embrace it. Is it perfect? No. But it sure is a hell of a lot better than an assembly of random teams all over the country crammed into a skeleton of a dead conference.

Andrew Ruck
B.B.A. 2003

Kinggeorge4
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/31/2026 1:18:14 PM

SBH wrote:

Agree 100%, don't really understand our alumni when it comes to donating.

GO BOBCATS
GEORGE

StevenTimothyVitte
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/31/2026 6:01:04 PM

Andrew Ruck wrote:

StevenTimothyVitte wrote:

It's a refreshing throwback, but it doesn't pay the bills. Economically with the MAC, it will never improve. Not with what's been happening in recent years.

You can disagree with the thinking all you want, which is fine, but reality has to set in at some point. If you want Ohio to stay competitive, staying in the MAC forever isn't the answer. Unless you like the idea of dropping down to the FCS and dealing with it.

Everyone else in the FBS are changing for a reason. Whether we call it dumb for them to do so, it doesn't matter. They're doing it anyway.

I won't be surprised if we all come back here a few years from now, after OU announces a move to another conference, and some here will be shocked that we did this. I won't be one of those people.

Last Edited: 7/31/2026 6:09:26 PM by StevenTimothyVitte

MonroeClassmate
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RE: How Can Ohio U. best position itself and improve the program long term?

Posted: 7/31/2026 9:57:14 PM

The MAC could use Akron and Buffalo becoming very competitive in football and somehow in their individual markets start to pull in fan support. If those two schools knocked off a Penn State and later a WVU like OHIO then the entire MAC would get a boost. Why go into a different conference if the bigger fan base teams (Toledo included) were to start beating the Wyomings and Utahs regularly?

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